One thing that I have often wondered about is if these HeLa cells are so
hardy, and managed to contaminate so many cultures then is it not likely
that they have been 'contaminating' people as well and causing cancer?
Nigel Dyer
Joe Chandler <jchandler at mainebiotechnology.com> wrote in message
news:Wu_i4.9096$Wu6.133266 at newsr1.maine.rr.com...
> How bizaar! I got the following send to me by email today:
>>> Those cells were incredibly hardy. Scientists were able to culture
> many kinds of human cells in the years that followed, but many of
> those cultures were accidentally contaminated with what became known
> as the HeLa cells. When it was discovered that HeLa cells had spread
> so widely, many research projects had to be started over, because the
> cells in the cultures were HeLa, not the kind the scientists thought
> they were.
>> Today, the HeLa supercells are still going strong in labs all around
> the world. They are the subject of research because like many cancer
> cells, they are immortal, reproducing without limit. Scientists are
> more careful now, and accidental HeLa contamination of other cell
> cultures is less of a problem.
>